Ball-catcher&#39;s mitt.



0.0.BURT1", BALL GATOHERS MITT.

APPLICATION FILED 22, 1909.

' entree srarp sggrnur onmon C. BUBTT, OF PLYMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO THE DRAPER &; MAYNARD COMPANY, OF PLYMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A. CORPORATION OF NEW HAMEESHIR-E.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

BALL-CATGHERS MITT.

Patented July 2,1912.

Application filed December 22, 1909. Serial No. 534,544.

. State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Ball- Uatchers Mitts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to padded or-c'ush-' ioned mitts used by base-ball catchers. A mitt of this character'incl'udes a case or cover having front and back members, and

a cushion inserted between said members, the marginal portions of the front and back members beingpreferably detachably connected to permit the insertion and removal of the cushion. The front and back members of the case or' cover are composed of covering portion.

The construction of the mitt is such that its front side,.which receives the impact of I the ball, is recessed to form a pocket enabling a catcher to retain the ball. It is desirable that this pocket be of considerable depth to give the mitt the maximum efficiency in retaining the ball. In forming this pocket the front or palm side of the cushion is given a concave form and its back side'a convex form. Itis also desirable that the back of the cushion and the back member of the cover be given apronounced convexity or bulge closely conforming to the curvature of the hand when the fingers are curved inwardly and the hand is bent at the knuckles this being the natural form which the hand assumes in catching aball'.

The invention has for its objectv to provide an improved construction of the back member of the casing 'or cover portion of the mitt, whereby said member is adapted to conform to the back or convex side cf a cushion, the front side of which hasa rela} forming to the curvature that the hand as sunies in catching a ball, so that the mitt 13' not liable to slip outwardly toward the fin ger tips-of hand wearing it, no muscular I effort being required to maintain said curvators.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 represents a front view of a base-ball mitt e'mbodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a section'on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents the two sectionsof which one of the side members of the case are made, one of said sections being" shown in full lines, and theother in dotted lines. Fig. 4 represents a View showing the sections represented in Fig. 3 sewed together along their meeting edges. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

a represents the main portion and Z) the thumb portion of a ball catchers mitt embodying my invention, the mitt being composed of a leather case or cover, the-construction of which will be presently described, and a cushion 0 of felt or other suitable material inclosed therein. cans are provided for adjustably connecting the thumb and main portions, and for drawing the thumb portion toward thecorresponding part of-the main portion, said means, as here shown, comprising a cord or thong (l engaged with the thumb and main portions, and adapted to draw the thumb portion to ward the main portion and hold the thumb portion at any desired adjustment. hen the thumb portion is drawn toward the main portion and hold by the cord (l against its tendency to spring away from the main portion, the marginof the mitt is contracted, and its front side is caused to bulge inwardly to permit the formation of a depression oif pocket g occupying the" central portion of the mitt. v

In carrying out my invention, I so construct the case or cover that its front member is adapted to be centrally depressed to the depth required to form a suitable pocket composed of a notched section of the form shown by full lines in Fig. 3, and a curved section of the form shown by dotted'lines in Fig. 3, the first mentioned. section being notched at 14: to form the recess between the body and thumb portions. The notched sections of the front and back members are designated 12 and 12 respectively and the curved sections of the said members are other to illustrate the difference between the edges 15 and 16.

In practice, the edges 15 and 16 are brought together and united by stitches 17. (Fig. 5), care being taken to so stitch thesaid edges together that the edges of the sections at the ends of the seam will 00- inclde, as shown in Fig. 4. The difl'erence between the length of the edges 15 and 16 causes a slack or fullness in the central portion of each me..1ber when the two sections are sewed to'tether',*as described, this slack portion being indicated by the shading in Fig.4, ,and causing an inward bulging of the central portion of the member, as indicated in Fig. 5. Each member constructed as described, includes a body portion and a thumb portion, the notch 14 defining the opposed edges of the said portions. The

notched section forms the outer end and the center'of the body portion, and the inner part of thethumb portion. The curved se -tion forms the inner end of -the body PUl'tipn, and the outer part of the thumb poYtlon.

"Vhen the thumb portion of the mitt isdrawn toward the main portion by the cord (Z, the depression of the front member of the case, shown in Fig. 5, is increased, arelatively deep pocket 6 (Fig. 2) being the re-' sult. The depth of-the pocket is due in part g to the adjustment ofthe thumb-portion, and in part to the slack portions of the notched section 12 and 12:, and is not necessarily dependent on thestretch or extensibility of'the leather of which the front member-ofithe' case is' made.

The front and-back members are prefer} ably connected detachably to permit the insertion. and removal of the cushion 0, the means 'here'shown for the detachableconneat-ion of-said members be ng a flange 19] permanently attached to the margin of the front member and connected detachably with the marginpf the back member by means of w a lacing cord 20 inserted in eyeleted orifices formed for-its engagement in the flange 19 and in the back member. The backmember is provided with the usual bifurcated patch 21 which forms with the back member a bifurcated pocket adapted to receive the hand,

fingers and thumb.

It will be seen that the above described construction enables the back member to be given a permanent convexity or out-ward .bulgeof such abrupt curvature that it is adapted to conform accurately-and without bending themitt, tothe form the hand naturally assumes in catching a' ball, so that when the, mitt 'is in use tb muscular effort of the hand is required maintaining the desired curvature of the back of the mitt,

and no liability exists of the outward slipping of the mitt toward the finger tips.

I claim: I

A ball catchers mitt or glove having a main portion and a thumb portion, and

means for drawing the thumb portion toward the main portion to cause the front surfaceof the main portion to bulge in-. wardly, said mitt comprising a flexible case or cover composed-of a front member having body and thumb portions, and'a back member conforming in outline to the front member and having a hand-receiving pocket,

and a cushion inclosed in said case, the said back member being composed of two sections one of which is notched and forms the outer end and the center of the bodyportion' of said member and the inner-part of the thumb portion thereof, the other section of the back member being curved and forming the inner end'of said body portion andthe' outer'part of the .said thumb portion, said notched section having an outwardly curved edge, and the curved section an inwardly curved edge 'which is stitched to the said outwardlyurved edge, the inwardly curved edge being longer than the outwardly curved adapted to have an abrupt -convex curve or outward bulge conforming'to the form naturally assumed by "the hand in catching a ball.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my" signature, in presence of two witnesses.

. CHARLESCJ BURTT. Witnesses:

J. F. DRAPER, W. M. SWEENEY.

edge, whereby the backv of vthe mitt isj 

